Chapter 34: Medical Treatment
2014-11-28
Author: Zhuseng Futu
The wound cracked open. When Soren released the spear, his leg was already seeping patches of bl**d.
The initial battle was somewhat manageable, but the last two jumping attacks directly caused his injuries to worsen. The wound that had formed a scab cracked open again due to excessive strain, and it seemed even more severe than before. As a result, Soren limped while walking and had to be helped onto his horse by the other merchant guards.
But the cost was worth it!
Soren directly gained 1,800 killing experience from this encounter. If he wished, he could now level up to a level 6 thief.
“Let the merchant caravan come over.”
Soren glanced at the guard captain, and upon seeing the captain looking at him, he said in a deep voice, “The value of these worms is not low.”
“However, it’s difficult for just a few of us to dig them out. We need to call the others for help.”
“Moreover,”
“I think you all need some money.”
After saying that, he looked at the other warriors – one severely injured and six lightly injured. The lightly injured ones were alright; they had just been scratched by the burrowing worms and would recover in a day or two. However, the severely injured warrior had lost an arm, which meant his career was effectively over. Ordinary people simply couldn’t afford the exorbitant cost of ‘limb regeneration’. The materials and costs for high-level divine techniques were generally above 3,000 Gindlers, and a corresponding price must be paid.
Otherwise, Soren wouldn’t have been able to wait half a month after his own severe injury to find someone to cast ‘High-Level Restoration’ for him!
According to the customs of this profession,
If a merchant guard encounters monsters or bandits on the road, the loot obtained from the battle belongs to the merchant guards.
The money gained is also handled by them, used to cover the wounded and provide compensation.
This time, no one died.
That was considered quite fortunate, as challenging the burrowing worms was bound to result in some injuries.
“Mark.”
The guard captain nodded and instructed one of the men, “Go call them over.”
“Let’s all work together to pull out these worms.”
“Be careful of their bl**d.”
“The bl**d of these creatures is acidic; wrap your hands with cloth and try not to get it directly on you.”
Soren didn’t help this time; he simply sat on his horse and watched, saying, “The most valuable part of the burrowing worm is the shell on its head. It can be used to make armor and is the hardest part of its body.”
“See that shell near the mouth? It can be used as a part for arm armor, and it’s very easy to remove.”
“Prise off the shell on the front of the head.”
“This is a natural enchanted shield; it can be used after some crafting and can sell for 150 Gindlers in the city.”
“Have them peel off the shells from the back end.”
“These are used to make half-armor. The shells on the back are practically useless; they aren’t the right size.”
“Unless we can find a master to make a tower shield.”
“The meat of these creatures is worthless.”
“The bl**d can be sold well in the marshes, but very few people need it here.”
“Have someone take out the heart.”
“Some wizards need strong hearts like these and should be able to exchange them for ten or so Gindlers.”
As Soren spoke, he directed them in dismembering the burrowing worms, extracting materials that could be sold for gold. The respect on the faces of the others became increasingly apparent, not only because Soren had ended two burrowing worms, but more importantly, due to his wealth of knowledge. A knowledgeable and experienced teammate is the most valued; they can uncover wealth unknown to others and maximize the gains from battle.
They did indeed need some money.
Because that severely injured comrade required a retirement fund, at the very least sufficient to purchase a plot of land and secure his livelihood for the rest of his life.
The merchant caravan soon arrived.
The merchants directed their assistants to help drag the burrowing worms out from the ground and load the valuable items onto large carts.
A small team of merchant guards kept watch, while the others busily worked.
After the tense battle, the merchant guards rarely showed a hint of a smile on their faces, because according to Soren, the three burrowing worms yielded about 1,500 Gindlers in profit. This was nearly equivalent to the payment they received for this journey. Even after deducting the retirement pension for the injured comrade, each of them could still get about ten Gindlers.
Before they began to handle the carcasses, the guard captain had already discussed this with them.
From the loot, he would take ten percent, the severely injured Casado would take fifteen percent, the other injured ones would receive twenty percent, those who participated in the fight would get fifteen percent, and those who did not participate would receive ten percent, while Soren would take the remaining thirty percent.
This was a very fair distribution principle.
Because Soren had exerted substantial effort in this battle, and without him, it wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.
Otherwise, there might have been fatalities!
The relatively fair distribution principle is the most important aspect of team maintenance; this is even more crucial than the camaraderie built through fighting side-by-side.
With about 200 Gindlers in wealth, along with past savings, it was enough for the injured teammate to return home and buy about 100 acres of land, allowing him to hire farmers to cultivate it and become a prosperous landowner. This essentially guaranteed his economic source for the rest of his life, so he wouldn’t live in extreme poverty due to losing an arm.
In fact, many adventurers emphasize this aspect!
Because they are engaged in a bloody business, and no one knows when they might be unable to wield a weapon again.
The merchant caravan soon continued on its way.
Due to the respect the merchant guards had for Soren, the other merchant assistants also regarded him with greater awe and curiosity.
Wanderer.
These people are either notorious thieves or legendary figures in the wild.
Those who operate alone in the wilderness are qualified to be the protagonists in the stories of bards.
Inside the large cart,
The mysterious woman glanced at the carcasses of the burrowing worms, as if recalling the intensity of the initial battle, and instructed, “Have the merchants prepare a compensation fund.”
“I will only take twenty percent of this profit.”
The steward quickly stepped back, beginning discussions with the merchants.
Evidently,
She did not realize that Soren had maximized the battle’s profits.
After the mysterious woman spoke, she looked at Soren and, noticing the bloodstains on his thigh, frowned slightly and said, “Come into the cart.”
“The wound on your leg needs to be stitched; otherwise, it won’t heal properly.”
Soren felt the injury on his thigh, then dismounted and stumbled into the cart.
Inside the large cart, it was very spacious.
Soft fabrics were spread around, and just from a glance, one could tell it was quite comfortable. In the center was a low table with a metal copper furnace on it, as well as a deck of tarot cards carelessly tossed aside. It is said that the Northern Witch can use them to predict fortune and misfortune. There was a faint aroma in the air; it’s hard to describe what it smelled like, but it made one’s mind feel clear, somewhat like the auxiliary fragrances prepared by wizards while memorizing spells.
The mysterious woman bent down to rummage through her things, her full and rounded posterior resembling a full moon, which inadvertently caught Soren’s attention.
Staring directly at a woman’s backside is quite disrespectful, especially when she is attending to your injuries.
So Soren quickly averted his gaze and placed his clothing under his thigh to prevent the bloodstains from soiling the valuable furs.
“Would you like to do it yourself, or shall I do it?”
The mysterious woman took out a curved silver needle and a semi-transparent fine thread made of special materials that wouldn’t lead to infection of the wound.
Soren glanced at it and said firmly, “I’ll do it myself.”
“Very well.”
The mysterious woman lit a candle, roasted the silver needle over the flame, then handed the semi-transparent thread to Soren.
“Zing!”
Soren took the silver needle and unwrapped the bandaged wound. He then pierced the needle into the flesh, stitching through the skin. The pain made him s*ck in a cold breath, but he gritted his teeth and stitched it slowly. Such a severe wound must be stitched to heal quickly; otherwise, even with the healing potions, they would have little effect, and any vigorous activity might cause the wound to reopen. While the healing potions retain some magical and divine effects, they are not omnipotent.
By the time Soren finished stitching nearly half a foot of the wound, he was drenched in cold sweat!
The mysterious woman observed him silently, then said, “It seems you have learned some medical skills?”
“This is an indispensable ability in the wild.”
Soren casually replied and then took out a bandage to apply ointment, carefully wrapping it around the wound.
At the same time, a series of data appeared:
“Surgery successful.”
“You have successfully stitched the wound! …Reduced your own injuries! …”
“Medical +2.”
It was at this moment that Soren found time to check his data page and discovered that many skills had unexpectedly increased.
All were some very commonly used basic skills.
“Name: Soren.
Race: Half-Elf.
Attributes: Strength 14, Agility 20, Constitution 19, Intelligence 18, Perception 15, Charisma 16.
Faction: Lawful Evil.
Occupation: Level 10 Civilian / Level 5 Thief.
Health: 52/52.
Experience: 3,650, 100 points.
Skill Points: None.
Attribute Points: None.
Status: Normal.
Basic Skills—Stealth 103, Theft 35, Lockpicking 45, Traps 55, Negotiation 3, Valuation 1, Deception 3, Performance 1, Knowledge 1, Evasion 5, Listening 3, Medical 2, Spell Identification 1.
Legendary Skill—Universal Skillful Hand.
Personal Specialty—Dexterous Left Hand, Photographic Memory, Resilience.
Occupational Specialty—Shadow Mastery, Military Weapons.
Combat Skill—Shadow Assassination.”
………………
In addition to the initially mastered basic skills, Soren had gained 3 points in Listening skills, 5 points in Evasion skills, 1 point in Negotiation skills, along with the newly improved 2 points in Medical skills.
It seems that his basic skills can be improved through practice!
